Texas A&M's Dalton Brooks ejected for targeting after hit on sliding Riley Leonard

Texas A&M sophomore safety Dalton Brooks was ejected on the first defensive drive of the game for the Aggies after he was called for targeting for a late hit on Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.

As Leonard gave himself up on a slide after scrambling for a 1st down, Brooks came in late, lowered his head, and hit Leonard’s head with the crown of his helmet. Even if Brooks avoided leading with the crown of his helmet, Leonard was deemed defenseless so forcible contact to the head and neck area would’ve still been targeting.

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Because Brooks was ejected in the first half, he will not miss any time in Week 2.

Texas A&M DB Dalton Brooks has been ejected for Targeting pic.twitter.com/hytWqQyG4B

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Shortly after the ejection for targeting, Notre Dame tied the game at 3 a piece with a long field goal.

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Leonard and Notre Dame gutted out a road win

Leonard was far from perfect in his debut as the Notre Dame quarterback on Saturday against Texas A&M, but he got the job done. The Fighting Irish QB finished 18-of-30 passing for 158 yards and no touchdowns, though he also threw no interceptions.

Most importantly, he showed up in crunch time when Notre Dame needed him most in the fourth quarter. Leonard completed both of his passes and rushed for 20 yards before Jeremiyah Love broke free for the 21-yard touchdown run.

That put the Fighting Irish up 20-13, and they would ultimately never fall behind again on their way to victory. Their offensive line managed to limit the Aggies to zero sacks on the day and also paved the way for 5.8 yard per carry.

“That’s a great D-line we faced today,” Freeman said. “Probably one of the toughest we’ll see all year. I’m proud of those young guys, man. I think we have six starts combined in those starting five. They got baptized today versus a really good D-line, but I’m proud of them. They’re gonna continue to get better on offense, defense and special teams. It’s something special.”

Leonard took a while to get going, but certainly showed his ability to deliver in clutch time. He came through with a nine-yard rush for a first down on the opening play of the Fighting Irish’s touchdown drive. Then later scrambled for 11 yards on the first down.

It wasn’t always that easy, as Leonard admitted to getting off to a slow start. However, when it came time for him to deliver, he did just that.

“I kind of just settled in,” he said. “It only took me three quarters to do so, but I settled in and started making my right reads. Like coach said, you gotta put your body on the line sometimes for your boys. We were able to get that done and one drive is all it takes.”